AirPods Pro vs. Jabra Elite 75t: Which should you buy?

Jabra Elite 75t

The Jabra Elite 75t is the de-facto choice when compared to AirPods Pro, especially if you're pairing to an Android device. They feature great customizability, IP55 water resistance, excellent comfort, and longer battery life.

AirPods Pro

The AirPods Pro make more sense when paired to an Apple device, but are much less obvious on Android. Unless you absolutely need active noise-canceling, go with the Jabra Elite 75t. They cost less and deliver a better experience.

The Jabra Elite 75t and AirPods Pro are two of the best true wireless earbuds on the market in 2020, with each one made for a distinctly different group of people. Overall, the Elite 75t stand out as the better purchase thanks to their great comfort, wonderful sound, ease-of-use on both Android and iOS, and USB-C charging. AirPods Pro impress with their active noise canceling and deep iOS integration, but when used with an Android phone, the experience is significantly worse.

Lots of differences to consider

On Android, the biggest draw for AirPods Pro versus the Jabra Elite 75t is ANC. Not only do they feature ANC, but AirPods Pro rival the Sony WF-1000XM3, which are known to have really great ANC performance. The AirPods Pro's ambient sound mode is also one of the best we've heard, rivaling some of the best over-ear headphones in this regard. The transparency mode/HearThrough feature on the Elite 75t is good, but does present a small hiss, especially when you're on a phone call or listening to a podcast. It's not a huge deal, and most people won't notice it but it is present. If you're listening to music with HearThrough on, you won't hear it at all.

For those who don't know, transparency mode (also known as ambient sound mode) is a feature typically found on ANC headphones and earbuds that allow you to hear the environment around you without having to remove your earbuds. It achieves this by reversing the ANC microphones, which are typically used to block out noise. HearThrough works in a similar way, just without ANC. The Elite 75t don't feature ANC at all, so they use the same microphone you use for phone calls to pump in the environment around you.

In terms of sound quality, it's a toss-up (out of the box, at least). The AirPods Pro feature a more balanced sound signature, with only a slight boost in the upper-mids. Comparatively, the Jabra Elite 75t feature more depth and a better soundstage with dynamic range overall. The Elite 75t's sound signature is super bass-heavy, and on occasion drowns out the midrange. Fortunately, the Jabra companion smartphone app is fantastic and comes with a standard five-band equalizer to let you tone down the bass and customize the sound. However, if you're looking for a non-offensive, balanced out-of-the-box sound, the AirPods Pro are the way to go.

You can't compare true wireless earbuds without talking about the charging case. Like the original AirPods, the AirPods Pro still have a relatively small charging case and will easily fit in the coin pocket of your jeans. The Elite 75t's case is only slightly larger than the AirPods Pro case. However, the slightly larger case nets you an additional hour of audio playback versus the AirPods Pro (20.5 hours vs. 19.5 hours). The Elite 75t's case charges via USB-C and offers no wireless charging, while the AirPods Pro case charges over the proprietary Lightning cable but offers wireless charging via the Qi standard. In terms of battery life of the buds, the AirPods Pro only get 4.5 hours (with ANC/transparency mode on; 5 hours with ANC/transparency off) and the Elite 75t are able to net you 7.5 hours.

Comfort is also a toss-up here. Both earbuds are extremely comfortable and discomfort will be kept at a minimum, if you experience any at all. Both earbuds come with three different ear tip sizes (small, medium, and large), but the AirPods Pro's ear tips are proprietary. The Elite 75t use standard ear tips, which means you can swap them out for practically anything else if you prefer a certain material over the stock configuration. In order to get your AirPods Pro tips replaced, you're going to have to schedule an appointment at an Apple Store or call Apple to send you replacement tips. However, thanks to the proprietary tips of the AirPods Pro, they don't require a stem be shoved in your ear. If you have a history of in-ear earbuds being super uncomfortable for that reason, the AirPods Pro will be your best bet.

When it comes to water resistance, the Elite 75t pulls ahead slightly over the AirPods Pro. Both are comparable, especially if you don't abuse your earbuds, but the Elite 75t is able to resist low pressure water sprays while the AirPods Pro are only meant to resist sweat and rain. The Elite 75t are also dust resistant, which is a bonus, while the AirPods Pro isn't rated to resist dust at all.

One downside to the Elite 75t is in regards to using a single bud. With AirPods Pro, you can choose to use either the left or right bud independently. With the Elite 75t, you have to use the right earbud if you want to use only one earbud at a time. However, the Elite 75t buds support dual device pairing, allowing you to pair them to two Bluetooth devices simultaneously — something the AirPods Pro can't do.

Deciding factor

Ultimately, if you're looking for the most battery life, customizable sound, and excellent comfort, go for the Jabra Elite 75t. The companion app is available on Android and iOS, and gives you thinks like EQ settings and a find my earbuds feature. The Elite 75t also last much longer than the AirPods Pro.

On the other hand, AirPods Pro are the way to go if you're looking for active noise canceling. The ANC performance easily ranks as one of the best you'll find in an earbud, let alone a truly wireless one. AirPods Pro also feature a superior sound signature out of the box, but there's no customization when it comes to sound at all. Also, you won't get any customization when using AirPods Pro on a non-Apple device such as an Android phone, including automatic play and pause when you take a bud out of your ear.